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UK: MPs to launch first official inquiry into decriminalisation of drugs Alan Travis The Guardian Thursday 26 Jul 2001 An influential House of Commons committee is to launch the first official inquiry into whether the decriminalisation of drugs should be introduced and whether it can work, it was announced yesterday. The inquiry is expected to include evidence from a succession of senior police officers who believe that cannabis prosecutions should no longer be an operational priority for the police. The inquiry, by the Commons home affairs select committee under its new chairman, Chris Mullin, will coincide with the end of the six-month experiment in Lambeth where police have said they will not arrest people for the possession of cannabis. Witnesses will include the home secretary, David Blunkett, who has described the Lambeth operation as "an interesting experiment" and called for "an adult, intelligent debate" on the issue, as well as the lord chancellor, Lord Irvine. Mr Mullin appealed for evidence to be submitted to his inquiry by the end of September. "There is a big debate going on outside parliament among serious people in the criminal justice system, including senior police officers, probation officers and members of the judiciary," he said. "Until now, politicians have tended to shy away from it. "But we think the time has come for a serious assessment of the way we deal with drugs. We have an entirely open mind so we're not headed for any particular conclusion. But we hope to bring all the arguments into the open," said Mr Mullin, who resigned as a minister because he believed he could be more effective as a select committee chairman. The inquiry will not only ask whether existing drugs policy works but also look at the effect of decriminalisation on the availability of and demand for drugs, on drug-related deaths, and on crime. The inquiry's terms of reference also ask: "Is decriminalisation desirable and, if not, what are the practical alternatives?" The MPs say they will look into the possible decriminalisation of all types of drugs and not just cannabis. It will be the first major inquiry by the Commons into reforming the drugs law since the publication of the influential Police Foundation report last year, which called for an end to the use of criminal penalties for cannabis posses sion and the reclassification of ecstasy as a Class B drug. Crime figures published this month show that despite the liberal rhetoric among politicians and the police, some 92,000 people were convicted of possession of cannabis last year and either fined or cautioned. This is double the level of arrests a decade ago. A Guardian/ICM opinion poll this month showed overwhelming public backing for the idea that enforcing the laws against cannabis possession should not be a priority for the police. Since the election Britain's hardline "drugs tsar", Keith Hellawell, has been sidelined as the Home Office was given overall control of government drugs policy. Even Mr Hellawell has recently recanted and said that he no longer believes cannabis is a "gateway" drug to harder substances.
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